Moments after the missile was shot down.
"Impossible… No way, that can't be!" Saori screamed inwardly, over and over, as the missile exploded in midair. The weapon Madam had prepared, the first step of their grand plan, was obliterated in an instant, its purpose reduced to nothing.
The man they were tasked with eliminating—their target—had destroyed it without hesitation, without obstacle, without interference, as if it were nothing at all.
Years of pent-up resentment, an arrow of vengeance… snapped in two.
(The ambush… failed!)
Saori reached for her communicator to contact the other Arius Squad members, but another call came through first. It was Beatrice.
"…Madam, the ambush—"
"No matter," Beatrice's voice cut through. "Use that."
"Understood… but we won't allow retreat. The enemy is at full strength. Even for us—"
"Are you questioning my orders?"
Saori fell silent.
"No running, no losing. No, Mash Burnedead—if you eliminate him, we win. Don't forget that."
"…Yes, ma'am."
The call ended. Saori clenched her fist, resolve hardening as she decided to press forward with the plan. The situation was, frankly, hopeless. Facing unscathed key members of Gehenna and Trinity, plus the terrifyingly powerful Mash Burnedead—it was an impossible fight.
(Stop. Don't think about it.)
Dwelling wouldn't change reality. Gripping her beloved rifle in her right hand, Saori raised her left.
In that instant, a line of nuns appeared, clad in leotard-like habits and gas masks concealing their faces. Their halos were cracked, their skin an eerie pale blue, exuding an almost ghostly aura. Behind them loomed a massive coffin housing their "secret weapon."
"…Let's go."
No response came, only silent obedience as they followed Saori. Their target: the root of all this—Mash Burnedead.
"Why… How can you move like that, Mash Burnedead?!" Saori's voice trembled with anger, confusion, and questions burning in her eyes.
(That shock just now… Sensei, you really did it!)
"What the—?! What was that?!" a voice cried out.
"Sensei must've shot down the missile. Impressive as always," another replied.
"Everyone okay?"
"Yes!"
Inside the ancient cathedral, the Gehenna Disciplinary Committee weathered the blast from the mysterious missile Mash had destroyed. They shifted to their next strategy—simple, really: ambush and engage Arius.
"…Ugh, of course… it failed, didn't it? They're all… perfectly fine, aren't they?" Hiyori muttered, her voice tinged with resignation.
"Arius Branch School," a Gehenna member said coldly.
"…Uh, hi… sorry to intrude," Hiyori stammered.
Arius Branch School's Team III appeared before the Gehenna Disciplinary Committee. Iori and Chinatsu leveled their guns at Hiyori, while other committee members aimed at the Arius students.
"So… weren't there supposed to be big shots inside?" Hiyori asked nervously.
"Nope. Never were," came the reply. "No one's staying inside with missiles raining down."
"Then the signing ceremony… the Eden Treaty?"
"It hasn't happened. That's the truth. We wanted to finalize it today, but this mess pushed it back."
"So Kronos didn't report it to keep it from leaking?"
"Exactly."
"So… we got played, huh? Heh…" Hiyori's laugh was hollow.
"Sorry, but yeah."
The Eden Treaty signing ceremony was supposed to happen today—or so Arius had been led to believe. In reality, the Tea Party and Pandemonium had received intel about Arius's attack and set up a meeting to counter them. The plan was to hold the ceremony after neutralizing Arius. They'd deliberately misled Arius into thinking the signing was underway to lure them into an encirclement.
"You've got two choices," a Gehenna member said. "Get blasted to bits or drop your weapons and surrender. Pick one."
"…Honestly, I don't think we can beat you," Hiyori admitted. "You're too strong."
"Then—"
"But!" Hiyori cut in, her voice shaking. "Even if we surrender, all that's waiting is torture, imprisonment, or worse, right?"
"We wouldn't do that."
"Liar! I know it's true!" Hiyori's eyes welled with tears as she raised her signature weapon, Identity Danel DTW-20, aiming at Hina. Her fellow Arius students followed suit, gripping their weapons. Surrender meant suffering. For Arius, with no way out, fighting was their only choice.
"No way around it, huh?" Hina said softly.
"No way," Hiyori echoed.
"No way!"
"Wha—?!"
"That's how it is," Hina said firmly. "We'll stop you—for your sake, too."
Hina spread her wings wide, gripping her beloved Destroyer and issuing the order. Iori chimed in.
"The guy you're after? He's an unbelievable softie," Iori said.
"He'd even try to save someone trying to kill him," another added.
"That's how he saved us!"
"Took us to the beach, too!"
"And cleaned up the city so we could actually get some time off!"
"Just like Sensei saved us, I want to save you," Hina said. "That's why we're stopping you."
"…Weirdos," Hiyori muttered. "That's not the Gehenna Academy we were told about."
"Thanks to Sensei, we've changed," Hina replied. "Gehenna Disciplinary Committee, commence operations!"
Gehenna Disciplinary Committee vs. Arius Branch School Team III: Battle Begins
"Tsurgi-senpai! The Disciplinary Committee and the enemy detachment have made contact and started fighting!" a voice reported.
"Got it. Then we start, too," Tsurgi replied.
"Man, haha! Can't believe it—the Justina Saints are standing right in front of us!" a Trinity member exclaimed.
"…Sakurako-sama, is that really… the Justina Saints' ceremonial garb they're wearing?" another asked.
"No mistake," Sakurako confirmed. "But why? That attire hasn't been seen in centuries…"
"Doesn't matter," Tsurgi cut in. "They're the enemy."
While Team III clashed with the Gehenna Disciplinary Committee, Trinity's Sisterhood, Justice Task Force, and a handful of Tea Party members prepared to engage Team II, led by Misaki Kai, and the mysterious Justina Apostles accompanying her.
"They planned to come up from the underground and ambush us… talk about bad luck," Misaki muttered.
"Underground… so there really are catacombs beneath the cathedral?" a Sisterhood member asked.
"The Justice Task Force and Sisterhood are in top shape. Worst-case scenario," Misaki said, shrugging. "But whatever. Our real target's just one guy, right?"
"Why are you after Sensei?" Hinata Wakaba from the Sisterhood demanded.
Misaki didn't hesitate, her response cold and certain. "He's the target for elimination. What else is there?"
"We understand Arius Branch School and why you hate us," Hinata said. "We won't deny the sins of the past. But why target Sensei instead of us?"
"Our student council president wants him gone, for one," Misaki said, her voice dripping with venom. "But mostly? Everything that guy says, everything he does—it makes my skin crawl. That's the real reason."
"…"
"Everyone's happy ending, everyone smiling… it's infuriating. He knows nothing, carries no burdens, yet he thinks he can 'save' us? Make us 'happy'? Who does he think he is? Nobody asked for that."
Misaki hoisted her Saint Predator FIM-92 Stinger, and the Justina Apostles readied their weapons. Hasumi moved to aim her rifle, but Tsurgi stopped her.
"For his self-righteous 'justice,' his hypocrisy, we're supposed to play along? I don't need saving from some guy who's never felt pain," Misaki spat.
"Self-righteous… maybe," Tsurgi admitted. "Sensei does act for his own satisfaction."
"…You're not denying it," Misaki said, smirking.
"He wants to see the people he saves smile, to make them happy. That's the 'self-satisfaction' he's chasing, or so he says," Tsurgi continued, her voice softening. "He told us that feeling's only grown stronger since coming here. Hard to believe, right? But that's who Sensei is."
Gripping her twin Blood & Gunpowder pistols, Tsurgi spoke with a warmth that belied her usual intensity.
"Self-satisfaction? Sure, maybe. When he saved Abydos, it was because he wanted to see everyone there smile. That's probably true."
"'Everyone's happy ending'—normally, those are empty, irresponsible words," Tsurgi said. "But when Sensei says them, they're different."
"Even when everyone says it's impossible, he pulls it off with sheer, impossible strength," another added.
"That's who Sensei Mash is."
"…You seriously believe that fairy-tale nonsense?" Misaki scoffed.
"We do," Tsurgi said firmly.
"Sensei can do it," Hinata added. "The Sisterhood, the Justice Task Force… we all believe in him."
"I don't get it," Misaki said, shaking her head. "He's not some responsible adult. He's just a kid, like us, isn't he?"
"That's exactly why we trust him," Hinata replied. "He thinks like us, stands with us. That's why we believe in him."
Arius refused to trust Mash, while Trinity's forces held fast to their faith in him. Realizing no common ground existed, Misaki made her call.
"Team II, engage Trinity's main force. Annihilate the target."
"No chance for negotiation?" Hinata asked.
"Obviously not," Misaki snapped. "It was pointless from the start."
"Then there's no choice," Tsurgi said, her voice low and manic. "Gehehe!"
Spreading her wings, Tsurgi crossed her twin gun barrels like a crucifix and roared, "Commence combat! Subdue the enemy!"
Sisterhood & Justice Task Force vs. Arius Branch School Team II: Battle Begins
Amid the escalating clashes…
"Choux cream party, choux cream party… choux cream par-tay…"
One lone figure muttered, out of place in the chaos, heading toward the fray.
-------------------------------
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